Social justice-themed art by Los Angeles based female artists is on display at Oxnard College’s McNish Gallery.
Dean of Student Services Karen Engelsen is happy to see art galleries like this available for students to attend, as well as an opportunity for up-and-coming artists to show off their talents.
“I think it’s fabulous to expose students to the various artists, it’s also good for artists to display to students,” said Dean of Students Services Karen Engelsen.
Until March 24, Oxnard College’s McNish Gallery will be showcasing “Harmony Reverberates Optimism,” a show by female artists with all pieces having an undertone of social justice.
Ronald Lopez is the curator for “Harmony Reverberates Optimism.” Lopez is a Los Angeles based artist and curator, and this is Lopez’s second show at the McNish, the first being 2007’s “And This is How it Ended (The Divorce Show).”
“I started looking for artists looking for artist’s deal with human rights issues in a positive manner,” said Lopez.
Christine Morla, Oxnard art department chair brought in Lopez to guest curate the gallery, as Lopez tends to find good artists who have a theme of social justice.
“Since March is women’s history month, I thought it would be good to bring this show to this gallery, said Morla.
“Ronald always finds art about social justice and social issues.”
Ofunne Obiamiwe’s piece “The Status of Women” analyzed the status of 10 female artists from the Los Angeles area, using a picture and a 420-character update, much like a Facebook status update. This came along with a bra from each of the women.
“[This is about] the status of women and their situation and condition in the 21st century.” Obiamiwe said.
Azadeh Tajpour’s piece “Iraqi Body Count” was an interactive affair, with viewers walking around on strips of paper, with the names of the dead from the Iraq War written on each strip of paper.
“I had realized what a difference it makes seeing name, age and occupation instead of just abstract numbers,” said Tajpour.
SaeRi Cho Dobson’s “7 Deadly Seams” is a piece inspired by the nation’s dry cleaners, saying she was largely inspired by a 54 million dollar lawsuit in 2007 against a dry cleaner, which lost a pair of the plaintiff’s pants.
“There are stories about dry cleaners,” Dobson said. “Dry cleaners are like a drive through, you don’t talk too much.”
Students were intrigued by the galleries’ unorthodox showcase.
“It’s something different, and it’s interesting,” said Michael Garcia, a 19-year-old undecided major.
To look at some of the art displayed, feel free to visit the galleries’ official site at http://www.adenistanbul.net/harm_rev_opt.htm for more information or contact Christine Morla at (805) 986-5800 ext. 1929, or by email at [email protected].
